Georgia governor Brian Kemp has signed into a law that will require all automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be registered with 911, a measure inspired by the tragic death of high school student-athlete Mason Sells.
According to Grice Connect, the bill is a result of Mason Sells' father, Scott Sells' advocacy work.
Senate Bill 399, the "Mason Sells AED Coordination Act," will require everyone with an automated external defibrillator to notify 911 of its location.
Mason Sells was just 20 when his heart stopped beating during an intramural soccer match at Mercer, where he was studying accounting. Scott says an AED would have saved his son's life.
Mercer had an AED near the field but that it was in a locked office and no one on the field knew about it or had the key.
The Macon Telegraph reported soon after Sells' death that a university spokesman said there were more than 40 AEDs on campus but that no AED was used on Mason Sells until emergency responders arrived.
Scott Sells collaborated with Georgia lawmakers last year. He said Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, listened to his story. Sells did not think anything would come of it until he said Harbin called him in February to tell him he had introduced SB 399. He asked Sells to testify for his bill.
In addition to the 911 notification requirement, the new law will require all 911 operators to receive training by the end of next year in how to coach callers through CPR and AED use.
